1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pencils and more particularly to pencil sharpening and pencil storage devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wooden pencils must be sharpened frequently and often get lost in briefcases or purses. They cannot be carried in one's pocket without leaving a graphite residue. Pencils may be carried in a shirt pocket by securing a clip with which the pencil may be secured, but there are still problems with graphite residue unless a shirt pocket protector is used. Frequent pencil sharpening usually requires leaving one's desk to use the wall or table mounted sharpener, or searching one's belongings to find a portable sharpener.
A patent search has revealed several patents which attempt to provide a solution to one or more of the above problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,664, discloses a rather complicated lead-auto-sharpened propelling pencil and a process of making it. U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,638, discloses a combined pencil sharpener, extension grip and eraser. U.S. Pat. No. 179,641, discloses a combined pencil case and sharpener provided with a shoulder and a flanged tube arranged with its mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 627,279, discloses a combined pencil-sharpener and eraser comprising a tube, adapted at one end to engage a tubular sleeve on the end of the pencil and at the other to carry an eraser, having its intervening portion flattened at each side and formed with a smaller, tubular section, slided longitudinally, and a knife having its body secured to one of the flattened portions and its blade bent over and projected through the slot. U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,714 discloses a pencil sharpener comprised of a tube, a blade disposed generally diagonally and diametrically within the tube fastened at opposite ends to the latter, the blade at its intermediate portion being narrow and free from the wall of the tube to provide room on all sides of the blade, and means to fasten the tube to a pencil.